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T-Mobile, MetroPCS unite to battle larger rivals

NEW YORK (AP) — T-Mobile and MetroPCS have agreed to combine their struggling cellphone businesses in a deal aimed at letting them compete better with their three larger rivals.

FILE-In this Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2012, file photo man using a cellphone passes a T-Mobile store, Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2012 in New York. Struggling cellphone companies T-Mobile USA and MetroPCS Communications are set to merge, in a deal that will create an operator with more than 40 million subscribers. In a joint statement, the two companies said Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2012, that Deutsche Telekom AG, the owner of T-Mobile USA, will hold 74 percent of the new business, while MetroPCS's shareholders will hold the remainder, as well as receiving a payment of about $1.5 billion. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)

The combined company will use the T-Mobile brand and have about 42.5 million subscribers. Although T-Mobile will stay No. 4 among U.S. wireless companies, it will get access to more space on the airwaves, a critical factor as cellphone carriers try to expand their capacity for wireless broadband.

That could ultimately mean more choices and better services for customers, though Forrester Research analyst Charles Golvin doesn't believe the deal will make a "revolutionary difference" for U.S. cellphone customers. That said, MetroPCS customers will probably have to buy new phones at some point over the next three years as they are moved over to T-Mobile's network.

Both companies have faltered in the highly competitive U.S. cellphone market led by Verizon Wireless and AT&T Inc. T-Mobile has 33.2 million subscribers, well behind No. 3 Sprint Nextel Corp's 56 million. MetroPCS is even further back, ranking fifth with 9.3 million.

Last year, T-Mobile USA's German parent, Deutsche Telekom AG, tried to sell the U.S. cellphone business to AT&T for $39 billion. Getting more access to airwaves was the main reason for AT&T wanted T-Mobile.

But regulators rejected that proposed purchase, worried that competition would suffer if the second-largest cellphone company were to gobble up the fourth.

Under the new deal, Deutsche Telekom will hold a 74 percent stake in the combined company, while MetroPCS Communications Inc.' shareholders will own the remainder. MetroPCS shareholders will also receive a payment of about $1.5 billion.

The deal still has to be approved by shareholders of both companies and will require government approval. But the regulatory concerns this time appear to be much milder than they had been with AT&T. T-Mobile and MetroPCS are both relatively small, and T-Mobile has been losing subscribers for the past two years.

"We are committed to creating a sustainable and financially viable national challenger in the U.S., and we believe this combination helps us deliver on that commitment," Deutsche Telekom CEO Rene Obermann said in a statement.

Deutsche Telekom said the combined T-Mobile-MetroPCS would have revenue of about $24.8 billion based on analysts' estimates. The deal is also expected to lead to around $6 billion to $7 billion in combined savings.

The acquisition, scheduled to close in the first half of 2013, will likely affect MetroPCS subscribers the most. By the end of 2015, MetroPCS's wireless network is expected to be shut down, and customers will be moved over to the new company.

This means they will have to update their mobile devices at some point. But Golvin believes that is probably good in the long run, as customers will get more choices in picking out phones.

John Bergmayer, senior staff attorney for public-interest advocacy group Public Knowledge, said by combining networks, "the two companies together are only going to be able to offer better service than they do today."